Controller for electric automobiles.



No. 688,025. Patented Dec. 3, l90l.

- F. F. Looms.

CONTROLLER FDR ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES.

(Application filed Kay 24, 1900.)

(No Iodel.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK F. LOOMIS, OF AKRON, OHIO.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,025, dated December3, 1901.

Application filed May 24, 1900. Serial. No. 17,845. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, FRANK F. LOOMIS, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Controllers forElectric Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation toimprovements in controllers for electricautomobilesin which different degrees of electric current may be appliedto the motors as the requirement of the machine may need and in whichthey may be graduated or cut at will.

Heretofore revoluble controllers have had spring-pressed fingers on theinclosing case rub on plates of metal on the revoluble cylinder, or viceversa, and the guide to the operator has been a pointer on thecrank-handle and a graduated circle on the controllerhead, thus trustingto the accuracy of the op erator to make complete and perfect contacts,guided by observation alone. There are two objections to thisconstruction: first, the contact is dependent entirely on the cleannessof the plates and the amount of surface in contact, and the second,arising from both these, is that where there is no positive stop for themovement of the controller-handle it is not accurately arrested whenthere is the most perfect and full contact, but may be stopped before orafter such contact, thus making a narrow connection, the resistance ofwhich tends to burn out the plates and prevent the efliciency of theapparatus.

The objects of my invention are to avoid these objections by using theknife-switch pattern to make the contacts, to provide a dial for thecontroller-handle with means for positively stopping at accurate pointsto make perfect contact, so that the efficiency of the machine will notdepend on the eyesight only, and generally to provide compact, simple,and effective devices by which these changes may be quickly made toincrease ordiminish the power progressively either to move backward orforward, to cut the current entirely out, or to use the device incharging the batteries and to use the motors as a dynamo to act as abrake.

To the aforesaid objects my invention consists in the peculiar and novelconstruction,

arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described and thenspecifically pointed out in the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals andcharacters in dicate like parts in the different views, Figure 1 is asectional elevation of a part of my machine with the batteries, motors,and wire connections in diagrammatic illustration and showing one set ofswitch-blades combined for a certain determinate result, hereinafterdescribed; Fig. 2, a section of the controller at the line 0; 0c of Fig.l to more clearly illustrate its construction and mode of operation;Fig. 3, a plan of the controller-head, showing the limit and effect ofthe controller-handle; Fig. 4, a side elevation of the controller-headwith the handle in longitudinal section.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a frame or casing, preferably, foreconomy of-tloor-space and convenience of operation, standingvertically, in which is journaled a shaft 2, on which is mounted asleeve 3, from which project at equidistant intervals six radial blades4. On these blades are insularly mounted, by means of non-conductingplates 5, series of similarly-situated metallic plates terminating inwedge-shaped ends, with their edges in the direction of the rotation ofthe shaft 2 to form members of knife-switches. These series are forconvenience marked with reference-letters, the series shown in Fig. 1being M, those in Fig. 2 being M N O P Q, R, and the separate plateswith wedge-shaped ends numbered consecutively from 1 to 12, commencingat the top in Fig. 1.

Secured on the inside of the frame or casing 1 and in the planes ofrevolution of the wedge-shaped ends before referred to is a series ofbrackets, each having pairs-of contactplates adapted to be severallyelectrically connectedwith different parts of the electrical apparatusand consecutively marked from the top downward with the followingletters and numerals, having the significance following, viz: A,armature; R, resistance; B P, battery positive pole; B P 2, batterypositive pole 2; B P 3, battery positive pole 3 B P 4:, battery positivepole 4; B N, battery negative pole; B N 2, battery negative pole 2; B N3, battery negative pole 3; B N F, battery negative field; B, field; A2, armature 2.

The electrical apparatus consists of fieldmagnets 6 and 8, armatures 7and 9, and batteries 10, 11, 12, and 13, in which the light and heavylines indicate, in the customary manner, the positive and negativepoles, respectively.

The electrical connections are as follows: The wire 14 connects theplates A with the armature, and a branch wire 15 connects it with thearmature 9. The wire 16 connects armature 7 with plate A 2, and a branchwire 17 connects armature 9 with wire 16. The wire 18 connectsfield-magnet 6 with fieldmagnet 8. The wire 19 connects field-magnet 8with the plate F. The wire 20 connects the field-magnet 6 with the wire19. The wire 21 connects the wire 18 with the plate B N F, and in thiswire is placed a circuit-breaking key 22, one plate 23 of acharging-jack, and a voltmeter 24. The other plate 25 of thecharging-jack is connected by a wire 26 to the plate B P. The plate B Pis connected with the positive pole of battery 10 by the wire 27, andthe negative pole of this battery is connected by the wire 28 with plateB N. The positive pole of battery 11 is connected by Wire 29 with platesB P 2 and the negative pole by wire 30 with plates B N 2, the positivepole of battery 12 with plates 13 P 3 by wire 31 and the negative polewith plates B N 3 by wire 32, and the positive pole of battery 13 withplates B P at by wire 33 and the negative pole by wire 3% with wire 21.

The wedge-shaped ends of each series of the metallic plates on theradial blades 4:, projecting from the sleeve 3, are arranged by apartial revolution of the shaft 2 to pass severally simultaneouslybetween and make electrical connection with the series of pairs of fixedcontact-plates hereinbefore described.

To secure different combinations of electrical energy to affect themotors, the members of each series of plates on the blades 4 aredifferently connected. To bring these several series in connection withthe fixed plates, a crank-handle 62, mounted on the upper end of theshaft 2, is employed. This handle has a hollow grip 63, in which is asliding pin 64, having a rounded head, and a disk 65, secured thereon,below which is a coiled spring 66, that constantly presses the pin u'p-I ward. In the body of the handle is a recess in which is pivotallymounted a bent latch 67, arranged to be moved by the action of the pin6& to raise the bent end when the pin is pressed down and fall as it israised. Directly below this handle is a circular head 68, with its upperface divided by radial lines 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, and 74 into six equalparts. These parts lie in different planes, the portion between 69 70being the lowest, the portions 69 71 and 70 72 being higher, the next 7173 and 72 74 being still higher, and the highest being 73 74, theseplanes being divided by abrupt shoulders, and in the center of 69 70 isa radial groove 75. When the end of the latch 67 rests in the groove 75,there is no contact between the wedge-blades and the fixed plates, andhence there is no movement of the motors. The movement of the handle ineither direction about the head will bring the various series ofwedge-blades mounted to revolve with the shaft 2 into connection withthe fixed plates A to A 2 at different points to produce the differentresults.

I claim as my invention- In combination with a controller forautomobiles, consisting of a revoluble shaft bearing a plurality ofseries of switclrblades, electrically connected to produce distinctcombinations of connections between electrical apparatus and motors, anda plate with an opening forsaid shaft, having one face divided intosectional planes of different heights by radial lines, of a handleadapted to turn said shaft, provided with a latch to engage theterminals of each section, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto set my hand in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK I LOOMIS.

In presence of C. P. HUMPHREY, O. E. HUMPHREY.

